The organizers of the traditional pilgrimage Ad Petri Sedem have clarified that the conditions of the Mass celebrated by Bishop Athanasius Schneider last Saturday, October 24, in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore had been previously agreed upon with its authorities. The explanation contradicts the information circulated over the weekend, which suggested a last-minute change to the celebration.
The clarification appears in a statement from the Coetus Internationalis Summorum Pontificum, signed by its president, Christian Marquant, and published on Tuesday, October 27, by the Italian blog Messa in Latino. Rubén Peretó Rivas, a member of the pilgrimage’s organizing committee, has also clarified the circumstances of the celebrations and the rules applied by the authorities responsible for the churches.
The duration of the Mass had been agreed upon from the beginning
The statement begins by thanking Cardinal Rolandas Makrickas, archpriest of Santa Maria Maggiore, and Monsignor Ivan Ricupero, master of liturgical celebrations, for the welcome given to the pilgrims and their collaboration in organizing the celebration.
According to the Coetus, both the duration of the Mass and its format had been established in advance. The celebration, presided over by Schneider, was planned as a prelatial Mass lasting between 60 and 90 minutes, taking into account the organizational needs of the basilica and the large number of faithful who would receive communion.
The organizers specify that these conditions were not imposed at the last minute. They also clarify that the restrictions on photographs and recordings were in line with the usual rules of Santa Maria Maggiore and not a measure specifically directed against the traditional pilgrimage.
Committee members clarify the conditions of the celebrations
Rubén Peretó Rivas, professor and member of the organizing committee of Ad Petri Sedem, has explained that the Vespers celebrated at the Pantheon were moved forward by only half an hour because the monument had to be vacated earlier than planned. As it is an Italian building, the Church does not determine its schedules.
Peretó Rivas also notes that the solemn Vespers were preceded by a long homily by Schneider, so the schedule change did not cause attendees to arrive late for the celebration. At most, some may have missed the preaching.
Regarding Santa Maria Maggiore, he confirms that the one-hour prelatial Mass had been planned from the beginning and that it was not a last-minute change.
The organizer recalls that the basilica has numerous activities on Saturdays, including the singing of Vespers by the canons. For this reason, Cardinal Makrickas made an exception to welcome the pilgrims, since pilgrimages are not normally authorized on that day.
Peretó Rivas also clarifies that the prohibition on taking photographs and making recordings did not constitute a special restriction against attendees. It is a general rule of Santa Maria Maggiore, which is announced before all celebrations.
These explanations clarify the circumstances of what happened at Santa Maria Maggiore, after criticism of the supposed restrictions imposed on the pilgrims was circulated over the weekend.
The prohibition of the procession at St. Peter’s remains unchanged
The clarifications from Peretó Rivas and the Coetus concern the celebration at Santa Maria Maggiore, but do not change what happened with the planned procession to St. Peter’s Basilica.
The Secretariat of State had previously rejected two requests from the organizers. The first, in a letter dated August 7, denied authorization to celebrate this year’s traditional Mass at St. Peter’s.
The second, dated September 30 and signed by the Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State, Monsignor Paolo Rudelli, rejected the pilgrims’ access in procession to the Vatican basilica to pray at the Apostle’s tomb.
As a result, on Saturday, October 24, the procession stopped beside the obelisk in St. Peter’s Square, without completing the planned route into the basilica.
Messa in Latino recalled that the refusal referred specifically to the organized access of the pilgrims as a group and in procession, which was what had been requested from the Secretariat of State.
Participants were not prohibited from entering the basilica individually, but they were prohibited from doing so together as part of the pilgrimage.
The pilgrimage concluded with the feast of Christ the King
The fifteenth edition of Ad Petri Sedem continued with the planned celebrations in Rome. On Saturday, Schneider presided over the traditional Mass at Santa Maria Maggiore, where he preached on the value of the traditional Roman liturgy and the work of St. Pius V.
On Sunday, October 25, the feast of Christ the King according to the traditional liturgical calendar, the French priest Claude Barthe, chaplain of the pilgrimage, delivered a homily at the Church of the Most Holy Trinity of the Pilgrims.
His preaching, also published by Messa in Latino, was dedicated to the social kingship of Jesus Christ and made no reference to the restrictions that had marked the previous day.